The Legacy of Mar
by Gishin Jal
Summary: Time is such a terrible thing to waste . . . . Adventure fic. Slight romance. Canon Pairings.
1. Prelude

Disclaimer: The characters and storyline of Jak and Daxter belong to Naughty Dog. This is for fun, not profit.

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The heat of summer was scorching as Jak found himself in the passenger seat of a zoomer. His hands were constricted tightly around the safety bar in front of him. His heart and stomach jumped as the vehicle switched to the lower hover zone then quickly back up. He had not felt this sort of heart gripping fear since his journey through the warp gate all those years ago. Now, Jak was more than regretting his initial idea of letting Daxter take the wheel. However they managed it, Jak wasn't sure-- his eyes being closed throughout most of the ride--but they reached the Upper Levels of the Industrial Sector without injury.

"Jak! Hurry up. Let's get this over with." Daxter scrambled up the walkway. He turned around to see Jak not behind him. Looking around, he saw his best friend still seated in the passenger's seat of the zoomer. Jak loosened his grip on the seat and slowly climbed out of the vehicle. Daxter found himself looking up as Jak stood before him.

"Never again." The warrior stalked passed the ottsel and through the door of the Eco Power Plant.

"What?" Daxter asked as he followed behind.

Inside the Plant, there were sounds of buzzing and humming from the movement of the eco currents. Vin's holographic head moved quickly through the room, stopping frequently. The screens flickered from one slide of data to the next. The engineer mumbled words to himself excitedly.

It had been almost four years since the internal war of Haven City had ended. Life had finally gone back to some semblance of normalcy. Life had gotten better for the citizens and their heroes. Everyone except Vin, at least.

"Jak, you're here." Torn climbed out from under the main computer when he heard the door slide open and closed. The FL Commander had been tinkering with a few of the old circuit boards. "Vin was starting to get worried." He cast an annoyed look toward the now present hologram.

Vin laughed nervously and popped over to Keira who looked as though she would rather be anywhere else. Jak only caught a handful of what the two were discussing.

" . . . okay, and then you would connect the filter wire to the input control. It allows me to upload my memory files onto the CPU . . . of course, now that I think about it, the microprocessor needs to be updated. I was thinking that the capacity could be better. I was dreaming last night and woke up with the idea of a ZT128 bit processor! It would integrate three parallelized levels that are interconnected to avoid bottlenecking. Just think of the possibilities! The reaction time, storage of the universe!"

"So what's the problem?" Jak shook his head while hiding a smile when Keira threw him a pleading look.

"Yeah, we got a call from Circuit Breaker over here sayn' it was urgent." Daxter gestured wide with his arms. "Everyone looks in one piece to me."

"You would say that." Vin popped over from his talk with Keira. "You haven't spent the last 942 days, 17 hours, and 36 seconds as a floating projector!" His head flickered.

"Well, it's not my fault you dumped your brain like last month's fish stew."

"So what are we here for?" Jak intervened before any arguing started.

"Vin's got a case of cabin fever. With the old eco grid lost, there isn't much he can do but monitor the foundations for the new one. We need his help working the system. Since there isn't any real way for him to leave the lab, we've decided to look for another way." Torn spoke. "We have Keira reworking some of Vin's programming to make the transition smoother, but it's slow going."

"In English please?" Dax asked from his perch on Jak's shoulder.

"I'm getting a body!" The cybernetic head floated around excitedly. "Not a real one of course." Vin looked to Jak. "Uh, that's where you two come in."

-----

"Remind me again why we're out here baking in our own juices?"

Jak wiped a hand across his forehead getting the sweat and hair away from his eyes. Daxter was hanging over the opposite shoulder, the metal from Jak's armor having grown uncomfortably warm in the bright sun.

"How much farther until we reach the warehouse?" Keira stopped next to Jak. She took out her canteen for a drink then handed it over to him.

"About another hour's hike." Vin spoke from the communicator at her side. His tiny head--small port, small projection--swayed back and forth with Keira's stride.

"Another hour?! It's been four already!" Daxter fell from Jak's shoulder only to have the others keep walking. "Why couldn't we have grabbed a zoomer?"

"Because, rat, the overgrowth is too thick. We wouldn't be able to land the hunk of metal let alone see anything from the sky." Torn had his pistol out and ready. "Now shut your ass up before the heat's the last thing you have to worry about."

"Okay, maybe we need to take a break." Keira exclaimed as Jak placed a forceful hand on Torn's weapon and threw a stern look at Daxter. Several minutes later and the small group was situated under a large tree replenishing their diminishing energy supplies.

Vin had told Jak and the others of an old abandoned warehouse that Mar had once used as a laboratory. In order to work the cybernetic body without error, Vin needed a power supply and the neuro-tech that had once been a prototype for the city's original defense system. Of course, there had been too many bugs to work out at the time, so Mar had to abandon the project in order to complete the eco canon. Vin was hoping he could work out the kinks and use the technology to power his new body. He'd have to learn how such technology worked, however.

Both Keira and Torn were well versed in the city's technology. Jak knew his way around the tools and his knowledge and usage of Precursor artifacts wasn't too bad either. Daxter, of course, went where ever Jak ventured. Though lately, there had been less Demolition Duo work and more Solo Hero action. Vin hoped that this group would be able to figure out whatever it was that they needed or be able to transport it back to the eco plant. But, uh, he was really hoping they wouldn't have to carry it back on foot. They all might decide it was better left undone and he really didn't want that.

-----

When the group finally reached their destination, none of them were too sure of what they saw. The building might have been impressive at one point in time, but that had long since passed. The Precursorian metal that was used for the walls was covered in thick vines and moss. Dirt had built itself deep within the carvings of their ancient language. The windows that had once held double sheets of glass, now lay cracked and shattered leaving the inside open to nature's wrath. The copper dome above was the only thing to save whatever awaited them inside. And the inside held so much more that the out.

The warehouse was like a surplus parts junkie's dreamland. Jak watched as the others walked through the doors. The stale air was filled with dust which captured the sunlight as it passed under windows and in front of the doors. Keira's eyes lit up and she hurried in further. Jak chuckled, she made him think of a child in a sweets shop.

"Don't get too excited. We don't even know what half of this stuff is let alone what it can do."

"Speak for yourself." Vin was looking around in amazement as well. "Just look at this place. I can just imagine the great Mar working day in and day out trying to make Haven City a better place. Oh look!" The electric blue head zipped to an area near to Keira's left. "It's the Shift Arm! This is the precursor to the modern day Morph Gun. It already shows the basic ability of channeling eco. Of course, the accuracy rate is so much lower than today's standards. Then there's the rate of fire and the ammo capacity--did you know that there was such a threat to the wielder that this model only lasted a few short months? Yes, you fire this baby and you might lose a couple of fingers--even an arm. I wouldn't want to be in that battle."

Jak had stopped listening when Vin had started on about the gun's parts. Not that he didn't find it interesting, Vin just didn't know when to stop. Daxter was mouthing him mockingly and rolling his eyes. Jak laughed. Torn and Keira had split up searching for anything that may have appeared useful. This place was so cluttered with junk, it was hard to tell whether what Jak was looking at was worth anything or not. Moving a heavy object or two, he didn't even notice the lack of weight on his shoulder from Daxter wandering off into the maze.

_If I were a high-tech, low-tech energy supply converter, where would I be? _Jak passed by a large board that was covered in illegible scrawl. _Hmm, he writes almost as bad as I do, _he thought in slight amusement. There was a large work area surrounded with glass containers. Some were cracked and broken.

Jak wiped away the thick dust. Within the containers were different colored wires. They were spiraled around a thick metal rod leading from the glass tubes. Above was another wire, this one red. The wire ended just before reaching a bare copper-colored pipe. More Precursor technology, maybe?

"It couldn't hurt to check." Turning back the way he came, Jak dodged the random artifacts. There was one thing Jak knew, this Mar person was a pack-rat. "Speaking of which, where'd Dax get to?

"Hey, Vin." Jak interrupted a talk that was going on with Keira as she shuffled through a few things. "I need you to check something out."

"Did you find something?" The holo-head in question popped over immediately.

Jak jumped back slightly. "Maybe. I just wanted you to see it first."

Keira handed over the comm. link with a quick 'thanks' and kiss for Jak, then went off into a farther corner where the pile of gadgets and gizmos was more than twice her height. Now she could explore in peace. Jak just shook his head and smiled.

"So what does this device look like?"

"It's got wires and stuff." Jak shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh, real eloquent."

The walk back was spent with Jak describing the location and the arrangement of the wires and the different tubes that contained them.

"Okay, and what about the blue ones? Were they leading from the tube or into it?"

"Why don't we just wait until we get there? All I can figure out is that the Precursor pipe connec--"

"There's a Precursor item involved? Why didn't you say so? Let's get moving!"

"Hey, Jak!" A familiar voice called over.

"Daxter? Where are you?" Jak looked around. He heard the scurry of claws before seeing his friend.

"I found something you might want to see." The ottsel in question rounded a corner and he was covered in dust.

"Not now! We have to find this energy converter Jak found!" Vin was vehement.

"It's not like it's going anywhere." Daxter ran off in the direction that he came with Jak in tow and a computer Vin objecting all the way.

"What is it?" There was a ring in the wall at the far end of the warehouse. It wasn't any larger than a window. Rust seemed to have corroded the metal ages ago.

"I don't know. It looks like a door, but it won't budge. There's a hinge on the other side, but no handle." Daxter went over to a panel that held many different buttons of which he began pressing them all.

"Ah, Dax, I don't think you should do that . . . ." Jak warned. There was a bad feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered." A few more buttons were pressed. When nothing happened, Daxter pressed them more forcefully before giving them a good whacking. "Besides, it's a piece of crap anyway. It probably didn't work to begin with."

Daxter jumped from the panel. At that moment, a loud rumble shook through the area causing a few scraps to tumble to the floor and dust to scatter. Once the initial shock was over, Jak and Vin looked over to Daxter with a reproachful glare. The ottsel laughed nervously. Back at the panel, lights had begun to glow and blink. The so called 'door' was starting to spin. In a quick flash of light, Jak, Daxter and the computerized Vin were gone.

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A/N: Here's the edited version of the prelude. I decided to go through and read my current postings before I added anymore chapters. It was a good thing too because I missed a few mistakes even after having read it a few times before posting. I wanted to make sure everything still flowed. So far so good. Only grammar and spelling changed, not actual content like the next chapter (nothing drastic). Anyway, continue on to the next chapter if you like and chapter two should be up soon.

Don't forget to check my profile for any status updates.


	2. Arrival

Disclaimer: Jak and Daxter and all related characters and environments belong to Naughty Dog. This story is for fun, not profit.

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"Dammit, Daxter!" Jak yelled as he landed hard on his back. The ottsel in question was shaking his head back and forth and brushing the dirt from his fur. "I told you to leave it alone."

"We're still alive, right?" Daxter grunted.

Jak huffed in frustration. He took a look around. Towering trees littered the area around them. They were lucky to have not broken their necks!

"So, where are we?" Daxter scrambled over to Jak's side. "It looks like that thing just spit us outside. That's one door that won't win any medals." The ottsel hopped onto Jak's shoulder when the warrior stood up.

"You're wrong." Vin blipped into the air. His voice sounded static-y. "You guys aren't anywhere near the warehouse. I tried sending out a message to the eco plant, but it won't reach. I can't feel any connection."

"Great." Jak set out in a random direction.

"Where are you going?" The scientist asked. Daxter grabbed the device and followed after.

"To look around."

-----

The forest was quiet for the early evening. The small group ventured out, marking whatever trail they made. They spent a few hours trying to find any familiar space; anything that would show where they were. When the group came across a small river, Jak decided it was time to take a break. He couldn't take much more of Daxter and Vin going at each other like they had for the last hour.

"Stay here and try not to get into trouble." Jak took off his Jet Board and gun holster. As the other two looked on, Jak was instantly covered in a faint, blue glow. Slender wings had sprouted from his back. Light Jak leapt to the skies and cleared the treetops in seconds.

The view from above the trees was peaceful. Jak gazed out along the horizon. There was a feeling within him that he had not felt in almost ten years. It was hard to believe that it had truly been so long since they had left Sandover. Jak missed it, but he couldn't leave Haven now. He had put too much of himself into it already.

To the north, Jak could point out the mountain chain leading to the Icelands. That would mean Haven would be south . . . .

. . . There was nothing there. No walls. No towering scrapers--the forest only seemed to continue endlessly.

"Where are we?"

From out of nowhere, a sharp cry was heard just moments before Jak found himself crashing through the trees. A heated pulse of energy struck him in the side again when the warrior realized his enemy was airborne.

Quickly, Jak landed as gracefully as possible onto a thick branch. He cursed himself for leaving his weapon behind regardless of the circumstances. Jak hid behind the tree to scout out his attacker. It turned out to be a group of Metal Jackets.

They wove in and out of the branches, zipping from one spot to another. Jak could tell that they were searching for him, though he wasn't sure why--Metal Heads only attacked what they saw, when they saw it. They didn't go looking for trouble.

There was the sound of a twig snapping and Jak found another group of Metal Heads right on top of him. He struck out when they came in too close. _Either I'm getting old, or these things are faster than normal, _he thought to himself when each hit missed its mark.

Jumping to the ground below, Jak's body returned to normal as he wove through the trees back to Daxter and Vin. Hopefully, they hadn't run into trouble as well. Perhaps these beasts wouldn't be too quick for a Vulcan Fury.

Jak ran through the trees. There was something different about those Metal Heads. He looked back when he though he was almost back at camp. What he saw caused Jak to halt. Or rather, what he didn't see. The beasts were gone. There wasn't any sign of them. It was almost as if they weren't there at all. Still, he kept his guard up.

Arriving back at camp, Jak looked upon an amusing sight. Daxter had thrown himself over a rock and lay groaning to an oblivious Vin. The ottsel acted as though he was dying. Of course, Jak wasn't sure he'd be able to handle much of Vin's ramblings either. The hero stepped closer to them and Daxter jumped up with a scowl on his face.

"And just were have you been?" Jak went to explain his findings and the bazaar Metal Heads, but Daxter cut him off. "While you were gone, ol' Circuit Breaker here felt the need to go in depth about that stupid body of his. I _don't_ what to know what he can do with it!"

Dax went on a little while longer, but eventually, the ottsel took a deep breath and looked back to Jak. "So, what'd you find while you were soaring with the birds?"

Jak sighed and recounted for the ottsel. Before he was finished, Vin had realized he had lost his audience and joined his companions.

"That does sound strange," said the engineer's tiny head.

"Have you been able to reach anyone yet, Vin?" Jak sat on the rock Daxter had occupied minutes ago.

"No, I stopped trying a few hours ago. The extended search drains my batteries."

"I think we should keep trying--if you can. Will anything happen to you if your battery dies?" The warrior strapped the morph gun to his back followed by the Jet board.

"Negative. My mainframe is safe and sound back in Haven City. I might not remember later, though." Vin flashed out of sight and Jak heard soft beeping coming from the device on the ground.

The rest of the day went by without further incident. The group remained by the river; its water a steady supply.

As night fell, Jak and Daxter gathered wood for a fire. Jak had a successful kill with a couple of rabbits, though he had also found berries and other vegetation for Dax. Rabbits were too close in relation, the ottsel argued. The warrior skinned and cooked the meat over the flames.

"This sure reminds me of old times." Daxter was laying on his back looking up at the stars through the branches above. Occasionally, he would grab a blue berry or two.

Jak only 'hmm'ed at him as he stroked the fire. It was nice to sit in silence sometimes. The chirping of the insects did indeed remind him of their old camping days. You couldn't hear the insects in Haven city too often. He found himself wandering Haven Forest every once in a while, even the shores of Spargus; they weren't fake.

"Remember when we heard about that ghost in the Forbidden Jungle?" The ottsel waved his feet from side to side. "You, me, and Keira all snuck out and tried to find it."

Jak could picture that night like it was yesterday. There had been sounds echoing through the trees that night. The villagers had a rumor going around that it was the ghost of a woman getting her revenge. Her lover had betrayed her, thus murdering her for another.

By the time they had reached the forest's edge, Daxter's tales of ghosts and monsters had them all scared. Of course, at the time, Jak didn't mind. Keira had taken to clinging to the back of his tunic. She was so close, she could have been a second skin. Jak thought that her fears and faith in him were endearing.

It turned out that the shrill cries of anguish and agony weren't from a ghost at all. To this day, Jak still isn't sure there ever was one. The noises themselves had been made by the Bird Lady. She ventured out every other night in hopes of finding the rare Night's Fleece. She had only been imitating its mating call.

"Of course, like always, leave it to me to save the day." Jak laughed to himself at his friend's statement. It was true, even if it was a fluke.

"You know, we should do this more often." Daxter's voice grew somber. "It's been, what, two months since we did anything? And missions don't count."

He was right. Jak couldn't remember the last time where everyone was able to get together outside of work. Daxter ran his bar and was in the process of making a partnership with a small saloon in Spargus. The little ottsel was constantly going back and forth between the two cities. Jak worked training the new recruits of the Freedom League. There were missions that the duo shared, but Jak went solo or with a few newbies; Dax was busy with the bar even with Tess helping out. When the missions ended, Jak could barely find the energy to make it back to his and Keira's apartment--she was usually waiting for him anyway.

"But, ya know, you keep up the silent act, it'll be too much like the old days." Daxter looked over to his friend. Jak sat looking into the fire, his poking stick slack. "Buddy?"

"Do you remember when I went to HQ to meet up with Torn a few days ago?" The mention of missions brought back the memories of his most recent dilemma. "He wants me to take over training the new recruits completely--even some of the older soldiers. He's hoping that I'll take over for him, as Commander, when he retires."

The furry ottsel sat in silence for a moment and then, "Wow, movin' on up in the world, eh Jak?"

"Yeah."

"Sound a little more excited why don'cha."

"I don't think I can live up to whatever it is Torn wants, Dax."

"Stop with the crazy talk. Who's the hero that's always come through no matter how slim the odds--and they were slim, trust me." Daxter sat up.

"That doesn't count. I was only a hero because I was forced to be. It could've happened to anyone else."

"Yeah, well, it didn't."

"I was reckless and careless--not much has changed. I can't lead others when I don't even know what I'm doing half of the time." Jak finally tossed his stick into the fire.

"Well, from where I'm sittin', Torn was dead on to pick you." He knew he had Jak's attention. "Look at all of the things you've done. You said you were forced, but if you can train those lapdogs, then maybe they'll know a thing of two about how to do it right. They won't be forced because it's what they've been trained to do.

"Maybe by the time we get home, you'll understand--we don't even know where we are, who know's how long it'll take for Chips 'n Wires to find something. If not, then maybe the great Mar wasn't as smart as legend said. After all, he set this whole thing up. It's like he knew what was going to happen. He built cities, walls, cannons. There has to be some slave driver gene in that house of yours."

Jak's mood lifted slightly as did the corner of his lips in a smile.

"Get some sleep, Dax. I'll wake you up in a few hours for your watch." The hero stood up with a grunt. His knees popped and then he moved around camp looking for more sticks.

"Yeah, sure." Dax curled up closer to the shrinking fire.

Jak claimed his sticks and sat back down next to his best friend.

"Thanks, Dax." He whispered when he was sure the ottsel was sleeping.

_You're welcome, buddy._

-----

Birds were chirping and the sun peeked through the tree branches. Jak opened his eyes and winced at the ache between his shoulders. Maybe sleeping against that tree hadn't been such a great idea.

"Mornin', Sunshine." Jak looked over to Daxter. The ottsel was looking at the trees with a strange look on his face.

"What's up?" Jak's voice was gruff from sleep.

"I think we're a lot farther from home than we thought."

The hero looked around for anything out of the ordinary. He couldn't find anything.

"It was a lot hotter back home. And the trees weren't changing colors."

Jak noticed what the ottsel was saying. The leaves were different shades of oranges, reds, and yellows. In Haven, the temperature had been at its highest. It was summer. Here, it was much cooler.

"Where are we?"

"More like, 'when' are we." Vin's communicator activated from Daxter's side.

"Wha--" Jak stopped when two Metal Heads crashed through the forest. Grabbing his gun, he switched it to red when one swiped at him. The hero fired, causing his enemy to fly back and into the river. Jak quickly turned his attention to the other creature. It was looking for lunch.

Daxter jumped behind a rock as the other beast went after him. The Grunt struck out, hard. Claw marks dug into the rock.

The Grunts were fast. Jak switched back to the Vulcan to catch the one that was closing in on Daxter. Taking aim, he pulled the trigger only to be disappointed when the Metal Head remained alive. The beast merely shook its hide as if riding itself of an annoying itch; not one scratch was visible. Jak cursed under his breath. He dove in and knocked the beast's feet from underneath. With the Metal Head down and on its back, Jak took the opportunity to fire.

A few bullets flew from the barrel of the gun, but nothing more. Jak took his eyes from the Grunt to look at his ammo. It was empty. He had a few casings of red and dark, but they were low.

_Shit._

Looking back to his target, Jak saw the bullets had done some damage. The Metal Head was struggling to get up. The warrior went in to finish the job by hand when, "Jak, look out!"

Daxter's yell caused Jak to freeze and turn. Time seemed to stop as the other Grunt from the river leapt into the air. It was only inches from its strike before Jak could react. Just as he raised his arms to block whatever damage he could, the creature went down. Jak could see wooden shafts sticking out from its back. More arrows came out of nowhere striking both beats. Neither got back to their feet.

"It's not very smart to travel on your own out here."

Jak grabbed Daxter and swung around to face the newcomer. There were three. Two held ancient looking bows, each with a thick quiver of arrows to their back. The third caused some relief for Jak.

"Torn, finally." Jak lowered his morph gun. "Where are we? I couldn't see the city--"

"Hold." An arrow from the soldiers on either side of Torn was raised and aimed at Jak. The hero froze, highly confused. There was a stare down between the party members.

"What's that?" One of the strangers came forth poking at Jak's weapon.

"Ya know, there's something strange goin' on here." Daxter spoke up. "What happened, you finally get tired of the stripped look?" He was looking at the Commander. His tattoos were gone.

"What are you talking about, rodent?" His voice was different too, but he acted the same.

"Torn?" Jak moved Daxter out of the way. Something was indeed going on. It didn't sit well with him.

"I'm not Torn. You can call me Captain Luz."

* * *

A/N: Here's the edited version of chapter one. I didn't make any major changes, but some were just to make the story flow better. Other changes were just the usual grammar and spelling mistakes that I didn't catch on my last read through. Anyway, the next chapter should be up pretty soon. It's typed and ready for the presses.

Don't forget to check my profile on any updates.


	3. Paradox

Disclaimer: Jak and Daxter or any of the related events and/or characters belong to Naughty Dog.

* * *

"You can call me Captain Luz."

Both Jak and Daxter stood in shocked silence. This Captain looked like Torn; same eyes, same hair . . . same personality. Jak focused on Luz. The resemblance was disturbing. Though, now that he took a closer look, the only real difference would have been the lack of the Freedom Commander's tattoos. Instead, the stranger's face was racked through with scars.

"What's this thing?" One of the other soldiers had taken Jak's morph gun from his slack hand. He cursed himself for dropping his guard in his confusion.

The hero quickly grabbed the weapon back. He held it tightly, awaiting anything else unwelcome from this group.

"Hey man, I meant nothing by it. Just checking out the impressive hardware."

"Gage, knock it off." The Captain spoke again. This time he gestured to Jak. Luz took note of the beginning look of panic after the confusion vanished. "You can join our camp for now, but we're heading out at next daybreak."

The Torn-look-alike moved back through the trees in the direction in which he and the others had come. The one called Gage followed a few paces back. The third member of the group, a woman, remained still. She was looking hard at Jak, a gleam of distrust in her eyes. Then she spoke.

"Are you following or not?"

Jak moved, following the other two already departing. Daxter was quiet on his shoulder. The hero took notice of the woman's look. She eyed him warily as he walked on. It seemed she did not trust as easily as the other two.

-----

_"You can join our camp for now." What was the Captain thinking?_

Caylx marched just behind their new guest. He was dressed in a strange fashion. Blue was a rare color, especially with trade to the south cut off by marauders. His clothing was too formal and clean to belong to someone living out here.

_Who is this guy?_

The woman continued to watch him for any strange movements while keeping an ear to her surroundings. The newcomer walked graceful, almost as if he were a cat on the hunt. There was something that spoke of great power in the way he walked. Yet there was a slight hesitancy.

Caylx caught the drift of quiet words from ahead. The man was talking to his pet. She found it unusual for the animal to talk. It was not natural, yet the others seemed to accept it without question.

" . . . crazy. So Tattooed Wonder has a time twin?" The orange squirrel chirped.

_Tattooed Wonder? Time twin?_

"I don't think so, Dax. This guy's different. But Vin did say 'when', not 'where' . . . ."

_What's going on?_

-----

"Vin, where are we"? Jak had a suspicion of what the computerized figure would say.

Their small group had made it to the new campsite just after dark. When Luz had said it was a short journey, his meaning of the word was different from Daxter's. By the end of the journey, it was common knowledge that the ottsel would let his opinions be known. Jak felt the annoyance rolling off of the others, but was surprised Luz had yet to say anything when everything else was so Torn-like.

"According to my internal memory, we are two hundred and sixty-two years and 2.4 miles east of Haven City." The transmission was fuzzy.

There was silence at the voice of Jak's thoughts. He was right. Scenes ran through his mind as he remembered the last time he had gone through time. Yet there was one question that he had to ask.

"How do we get home?"

"Mar."

"What?" Jak answered.

"Not you, the other Mar." Vin got excited again.

"Care to clarify?" Daxter piped up.

"He founded Haven City. If this is the past, then he should be alive. If not, then we're stuck here forever." He spoke matter-of-factly, though, at the prospect of meeting his idol, Vin was jumping inside.

It was quiet for the next few hours. Daxter had eventually fallen asleep. He had tucked himself into a ball against Jak's leg. The night air was chill; it only proved to Jak that they had arrived during autumn. Back home it had been sweltering even on the best of nights.

The warrior sat in front of the fire thinking to himself for most of the night. There were a lot of possibilities going through his mind. The most prominent thought being that they were in the past and Haven had yet to be founded. The last time he had seen the Precursors, they had mentioned something about adventures in the past. Could this have been what they meant? Was he the true Mar? What if he didn't want to be?

There was nothing more than Jak wanted than to just have a peaceful life. Sure there would be the small things here or there, but it wouldn't get out of hand like when the entire world depended on him to save it. He had tasted that peaceful life, he wanted more of it. He just wanted to go home.

Home. He smiled at the thought. Keira was probably out of her mind searching for them.

There was the sound of footsteps that brought Jak from his thoughts. His ear twitched in the direction they were coming from. The three soldiers they had set camp with had been scouting the area for threats. There had been a set up of shifts for the night watch. When Jak had suggested he have a go, the woman scoffed. _"I don't trust anything to outsiders, let alone my life."_ That had been the end of that. Apparently, the other two knew not to get in her way.

"Can I take a look at that thing?" The one known as Gage walked over to where Jak and Daxter were sitting by the fire.

Jak looked up and then over to whatever the other soldier had asked about. It was the communication device. The hero remembered earlier how Vin had hidden when the three strangers appeared.

"Uh, he's a little . . . sensitive." Jak searched for the right word. Vin wouldn't know what to do with himself--_he's dismantling my casing with his mind, I just know it!_

"He?" Gage looked at him strangely. "Okay." He was a little skeptical. Then, just on the other side of Jak, the soldier caught sight of something else.

"How about that then?" He gestured to the strange weapon lying on the ground.

Now, it was Jak's turn to be skeptical. Though he didn't have much ammo left, he would have liked to keep his morph gun by his side at all times in this place. The warrior reached over to his other side and grabbed the weapon. It had served him well; hopefully it would continue to do so. Jak handed it over with only a warning look.

"Alright, alright. One piece." The man walked off and Jak thought he would start skipping along if Gage had been anymore pleased. Jak looked after his gun wondering if he had just signed its death sentence.

"I wouldn't worry too much about your weapon." Captain Luz sat on the ground across from Jak. "Gage is the best we have when it comes to mechanics. He's got a workshop back home; it's a little dangerous when he's working."

"Sounds like someone I know." Jak thought about it. He was thinking that maybe, this Captain was different from Torn after all. He was being civil, unlike the first time he had met the tattooed Commander.

"Where are you from? Not many people are stupid enough to travel these days." Perhaps civil was too strong a word.

"I can handle myself better than most." Jak growled. Jak hadn't liked Torn all that much upon introductions and he wasn't seeing much difference with this man either. They were like mirror images. Related to a fault, but there was nothing Jak could do.

"Sure, like that last fight. Caylx was only going for target practice." Luz started tossing a few small stones into the fire. Sparks drifted upward when the wood shifted.

"It was under control."

"Then next time, save yourself."

Jak turned quickly to face the newcomer. It was the woman from before. She was still looking at him with a gaze so intently full of anger and mistrust. Jak was beginning to wonder what ever it was that he had done to her. The woman stood staring at the two for a few moments more, and then turned her full attention to Luz. She nodded then walked off back through the trees.

Jak grunted at her passing wondering what her problem was. The captain caught this and stated, "Caylx means no harm. Though, I wouldn't cross her if I were you."

The warrior only remained silent. He no longer wished for the Captain's company. He had been grateful for the help regardless of it not being needed, but now Jak only wished for a way home. The sooner, the better.

"We head out at sunrise. It's a two day journey to the Salvo Encampment." The captain stood, stretched his legs and turned to walk away.

"You assume I'm going with you."

"Where else will you go? I gathered you weren't from around here.

"The Metal Head activity's been picking up in the area lately. They charge in destroying everything. Their movements are almost frantic. They're looking for something and we're out here trying to find it before they do. Our encampment is the only place within a fifty mile radius. We can offer supplies and a place to sleep." Luz moved off, raising his voice as he did so, "Take my hospitality or leave. It makes little difference."

With that, Jak was left alone once more to his thoughts.

Eventually, Gage brought the morph gun back no worse for wear. He seemed on the verge of asking Jak something, but walked off without uttering a word. Luz had set up a bed roll on the opposite side of camp and lay looking up at the sky. Caylx stood watch occasionally moving to different locations to stay awake and aware.

Jak didn't know what to do. He looked down at the ottsel by his side having woken up just before Luz had walked off. Daxter was hunched over his knees swatting at the tiny insects with a stick as they flew too close to the flames. He looked almost depressed.

"We'll get home, Dax." Though he wasn't sure how he would be able to pull through on his word. There had been a time where they had set out to find a way home the first time. When they found it, they were already home. Jak was at any rate. This time though, Keira and Samos weren't around. This time, they didn't have a time map or a rift rider to carry them back. Vin was a genius, but he didn't have as much experience with Precursor artifacts as Jak's family.

_"Finally! The last rift gate has been opened!"_ An image of the past surfaced to the forefront of Jak's mind the longer he thought about his first experience with time travel. _"You cannot hide from me, boy!"_

_How did Kor find us?_ It was a strange thought that had tickled Jak's mind every so often during the fight for the city.

"Dax."

"Hmm?" Daxter lit the end of his stick on fire and waved it through the air lazily.

"How did Kor find this place?" Jak asked in honest curiosity.

"I don't know. I'm pretty sure Jumbo's around here somewhere. Why don't we just go ask him?"

"No. What I meant was _how_ did he get here?"

"What do you mean _how_? He flew through that stupid rift thing. Geez, old man, if I'd known you'd lose your memory this fast . . . ."

"Dax, think about it."

"Okay."

There was a long pause and Jak sighed, deeply.

"In order to get to Haven City, we used a Time Map and the Heart of Mar. Seem gave us another Time Map to use on the space observatory in Haven Forest. Kor didn't have one. I think that all of those are just aids. It's still possible to get home."

"There's still one major flaw in that plan of yours, big guy."

"We don't have a portal, I know. We don't even know where to begin to make one, let alone use it." Jak's enlightened mood vanished.

"We could always ask him." The ottsel piped up seconds later.

"Right," was the sarcastic reply.

"Luz said the Metal Heads are looking for something. What do we know of that the leader of the Metal Heads wanted above all else?" Daxter raised a brow.

" . . . me and the Precursor Stone."

"Exactly." Daxter held a triumphant smile on his face.

* * *

A/N: This is the rewrite of my original chapter two. Not much changed, but what did change was kind of important, I think. Anyway, I'm sorry that it took so long for this one to get out. I had planned on getting it out last week, but there were some tests that needed to be taken care of first. Anyway, the next two chapters are underway in the editing stages and will (hopefully) be up soon too. Remember to check my profile for any updates.

A/N2: As for the issue raised for the last chapter about weapons, don't worry, I've got it covered. I've already thought about that. There is a reason for everything, just wait until they reach the encampment.


	4. Change

Chapter Three: Suspicious Times, Part I: Change

* * *

Metal Heads weren't always the smartest creatures in the world, but you couldn't say they were weak by any means. If a weak Metal Head did exist, they traveled in groups. Those groups stuck together and acted as one. Sometimes, it was worse than the stronger Metal Heads traveling alone.

Jak and his unneeded crew found such attacks to be frequent and irritating as they made their way toward Slavo.

Morning had arrived swiftly for Jak. The sun had only just touched the horizon before he was awakened quite roughly by his new admirer, Caylx. Luz and Gage had already started packing up camp. With barely enough time to eat something small for breakfast, the hero grabbed his things and his still sleeping friend and headed out with the others.

"I'm beginning to think they hate us or something."

"Drop it, Gage." Caylx sighed and grabbed her latest kill. She pushed each arrow embedded in its thick hide and out through the other side. She groaned when one broke.

"Ugh, I lost another one." The female soldier cleaned off the recovered arrows and placed them back in her quiver.

Their arrows were running low. Gage had already moved on to using his combat knife, her own having been taken in an earlier fight. Gage hardly noticed his own loss though; he almost preferred close and personal.

"Here." A sheathed blade appeared before Caylx. She lifted her gaze from her work to see the Captain standing before her. She held his gaze for only a few seconds before reaching out and taking the offered weapon.

"Thank you, sir." she spoke almost quietly. Luz nodded and lightened his gaze before turning to meet with Gage.

Putting the weapon to her waist, Caylx stood. In front of her stood the little rat belonging to the outsider. It was giving her a very strange look, one she felt disgusted by.

"What?" she growled. It did nothing to deter the creature.

"Oh nothing." the ottsel said innocently.

"You fight pretty good." Jak walked over strapping the morph gun to his back.

The female soldier said nothing. She only gave him the same look as she gave his pet.

"Look, I don't know what I did to piss you off, but I'm sorry okay? Things aren't exactly easy for me and Dax right now."

"We all have problems." She turned away and watched Luz and Gage. They would all be leaving soon anyway. The minutes passed and she realized that the twosome wasn't going to leave. Caylx took a breath and turned back around.

"You're good, but you shouldn't let it go to your head." She looked Jak square in the eyes.

"I think that's as close to a complement as you're gonna get from her, Jak." the little orange one muttered. Caylx still heard and glared.

"The three of you make a good team." Jak motioned to the other two. He had noticed how they worked together. They stayed close, but knew what to do if they were separated. There were enough Metal Heads that day, that even through their drain in energy, teamwork remained strong. It was something many of the recruits he trained failed to learn. "How long have you been together?"

"A long time," came the short reply. It almost seemed as if she were trying to end the conversation, but she continued onward. "My grandfather died when I was young and I came here. The Metal Heads had only first attacked. My grandfather was too clever for his own good. He died trying to save our pathetic village."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jak confessed that it puzzled him. Before, she had all but shunned him. Now, not much had changed, but she was at least continuing a decent conversation if being somewhat cynical about it.

"You want to watch the grass grow while they decide on the best route?" The female warrior raise a brow at him. There was silence again, just as uncomfortable as the others preceding it. Caylx was beginning to wonder why she had even bothered.

"It's how you fight." She broke the silence. "You can tell a lot about an opponent by the way he moves. There's a purpose to your fighting. Something to fight for."

"Always is. He's a hero. It's part of the package." Daxter jumped up to Jak's shoulder. He was feeling a bit left out, to be honest.

"Now's not the time for heroes, Orange One. Enough people die without heroics and more people die because of them."

"What do you fight for then?" Jak asked.

"It's time to go." Caylx instead answered. "Check your supplies. We rest again at mid-day."

"Not the friendliest person we've met, but she'll come around eventually. Who can resist the orange fur?" Dax said as they watched her walk away. He felt a drop in altitude as Jak knelt to the group to check what ammo he had left. It was hardly wore anything. Three red shells and a couple of darks that he was saving for an emergency.

"You've always got your eco." Daxter chirped from his shoulder.

"I don't know how well that would go over, Dax."

"Not everyone's a Havenite, buddy." The ottsel patted his friend's shoulder. "The other two seem to like you okay at any rate."

-----

The mid-day break came later than planned, not that it was unexpected. The Metal Head groups were beginning to clear out, but they were still out there.

"I knew there was an increase in Metal Head activity, but this is overkill." Luz muttered.

The group had settled a short distance from the stream they had been following. It was out of sight, yet the sound from the flowing waters could still be heard. Jak had gone off in search of food for Daxter and himself. He didn't feel right taking from the rations of the others no matter if he had done so the night before.

"Your friend doesn't talk much." Luz sat against a small tree as he pulled out a sack of dried meat and gave a ration to his two soldiers. Other than the rare comment, the Captain hadn't heard a single word out of their new companion since last night.

"More than he used to. When we were younger, he didn't talk at all. Keira and I always knew how to read him though." Daxter was facing the direction in which Jak had left. He looked upward as if remembering better days.

"What happened?" Caylx asked.

"Well . . . . I don't think I'm the one to say. Jak might tell you, he might not. Don't hold it against him if he doesn't. He had it rough for a while and no matter what he says, it still bothers him."

The object of their discussion returned a few minutes later with a small pouch of vegetation. There wasn't time for anything cooked, not when they were trying to make good time.

As the group settled down for a quick meal, they became increasingly aware of the quiet surrounding them. Even the streaming of the river seemed too quiet. Weapons were soon at hand and ready. Daxter's ears were straight, straining for anything that would warm them of their stalkers.

Within seconds, the area had become a battlefield. Half a dozen Metal Mantises had fallen from the treetops slicing out with their claws as they landed.

Kicking the nearest opponent, Jak heard Caylx cry out. One of the Metal Heads had caught her across the arm. As he tried to get closer to her position, a second Mantis struck out with its razorblade claws. Close combat was the only option for the lightning quick beasts; arrows proved to be too slow to ready and the morph gun would be out of ammo before Jak even landed a hit.

They were too fast, faster than Jak remembered. What had caused such a drastic change in the Metal Heads here and those of Haven? The thoughts were driven from his mind as the fighting continued in an almost tag team fashion. The hero landed a swift kick that sent one Mantis flying back. It hissed at him before backing off, the other taking its place.

Finally, when Jak thought it would never die, the Mantis fell. Jak couldn't take a breath before he remembered there was a second enemy he had fought. Looking around, he searched for it. Through a thin row of trees and shrubbery, he found it. In the next instant, the hero was moving. The Metal Mantis was stalking a preoccupied Caylx, her back turned as she fought her own adversary.

The beast moved silently and swiftly. It was almost upon her before Jak realized he couldn't make it in time. Willing his legs to move faster, he couldn't stop what happened next . . . .

-----

A feeling of charged energy washed over Caylx. The Metal Mantis before her dropped, a hilt sticking from it abdomen. Turning quickly, she only caught a glimpse of a second attacker. It was so close; she hardly had time to raise her arms up in protection.

Seconds, that seemed to last hours, washed by. When the attack had not come, the female soldier lifted her eyes. What she saw sent a heart stopping chill through her more so than any Metal Head ever could.

"Oh my god," came a whisper from somewhere in the background, it didn't matter who. Caylx could only help but stare at this new being before her. It was posed in attack-ready, down on its haunches, claws flexed. Dark, endless pools looked back at her. She stood frozen, only half noticing the sound of a soft thump from beside her. Looking down, there lay the carcass of the offending Metal Head, five narrow puncture wounds in its back.

There came a strange sound from this creature; almost like a soft keening noise. It tilted its head forward slightly, relaxing. Slowly, he moved forward, backing off when Caylx retreated instantly. The creature shrank back, then once more advanced forward, this time hesitantly. Caylx made a grab for her injured arm when she stumbled over a root. The creature moved in quickly.

"Stand down, Jak." a militant command rang out. Captain Luz moved to stand in front of Caylx holding the warrior's own gun against him. There came a soft growl from the pallid hero and Gage stepped forward, looking a bit unsure, as well.

"I said _stand down._" The order was given again, deeper and more forceful. Luz's hands tightened around the foreign object, prepared to strike.

"Captain." the woman called, trying to gain the other's attention. Jak seemed more primal in his current state. If that was the case, then he saved her and was only making sure she was without further injury. Thus the careful movements. Luz ignored her, however.

They remained at a stalemate until finally, Jak began to revert back. Color returned to his skin, claws retreated into harmless fingernails, horns vanished beneath blond hair, and eyes were once more dark blue.

When the change ended, Jak looked to the three soldiers before him. Hastily, he turned on his heel and began walking off. He paused a moment when he heard Luz comment.

"What _are_ you?" It was a whisper and it was harsh.

Jak didn't reply. He walked on not even stopping to pick up a concerned ottsel who followed quickly behind.

-----

"I won't have him endangering our people!" the Captain snarled.

"How do you know he will? What if he was their protector?" Caylx countered.

"Since when were you sticking up for the new guy?" Gage asked accusingly.

"He saved my life. I think that merits a second chance, don't you?" she countered. "Sir."

Silence.

She sighed in frustration. "Luz."

"He's too dangerous." The answer was low. The Captain paced back and forth before his two subordinates.

"The Metal Heads are more agitated than ever. Salvo can't survive with only a handful of defenders, sir.

"He's a stranger, but maybe he will help." There was something familiar about him too, something she had known before if only for a short time. The female soldier had noticed it as soon as she saw him. Memories returned from a different time and she didn't know how to deal with them. Something was still very wrong with everything in this situation.

The silence came again only not as stifling.

"Fine, but if he shows of being a threat, he's gone."

"Agreed."

-----

Jak exhaled heavily as he got to his feet. "Let's go, Dax." The warrior turned and made his way away from the river.

Daxter kept quiet for a few minutes. He knew what bothered Jak, but what could he say? _Hey, at least they can't exile us here. _Right. That was a great idea.

"It's alright, Dax."

"No, it's not. You shouldn't have to prove yourself all the time! You saved her, it's not like you were gonna eat her or somethin'. Those cowards back in Haven took three years. I don't know about you, but I don't want to wait another three years to go home."

"I know, believe me, I know." Jak gave a small, yet failed smile.

"Where are you going, outsider?" a voice echoed.

Jak whipped around to find the woman he had saved earlier. She held a look of confidence and something along the lines of grateful knowledge.

"We're going to look for Mar. Daxter and I appreciate your earlier offer, but I think we both know it would be best if we parted here."

"You would be wrong. The offer still stands." Shock crossed Jak's face momentarily.

"You can look for this Mar person once you've restocked supplies. Gage might even have something for that gun of yours.

"Now we're even." Caylx headed back toward the new campsite. As she headed back through the trees, she called out, "Don't make me regret it, Jak."

* * *

A/N: Okay, here's the newest chapter. I have the other one ready. I'll post it in a couple of days. This was originally going to be a two part chapter with the next one, but during editing things change(technically it's still a two parter). I usually add a few things if something needs more clarification. Please, _please_ let me know if there are _any_ typos. No matter how many times I read over something, I still miss things. I was reading the previous chapters again to make sure this one flowed and I still found errors. I've read them _five_ _ times_ at least.

Don't forget to check my profile for any updates!


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